The results of a Phase 1 clinical trial in multiple myeloma patients indicate that total body irradiation using a technique that focuses radiation on the bone marrow is a safe and effective way to prepare the bone marrow for stem cell transplantation. By focusing the radiation on the bone marrow, the researchers were able to limit damage to organs in the body and reduce resulting side effects.

Total body irradiation is commonly used prior to stem cell transplantation to destroy cancerous cells in the bone marrow. The bone marrow is then repopulated …

A recent European study reported poorer overall survival in patients with rare IgD, IgE, and IgM multiple myelomas following stem cell transplantation compared to patients with the more common IgG, IgA, or light chain myelomas. However, the overall survival of nonsecretory myeloma patients, another rare type of myeloma, was similar to that of common myeloma patients.

The authors added that the survival data from their analysis is better than previous data for patients with rare myelomas who received a stem cell transplant. They therefore recommended the continued use of transplantation as a …

Patients under age 65 who undergo autologous stem cell transplantation early have significantly higher survival rates than patients who receive continued treatment with Revlimid and dexamethasone, according to a retrospective analysis of a recent clinical trial.

However, Dr. David Siegel, from the Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey and lead investigator of the study, pointed out that these results need to be interpreted cautiously, because the patients were not randomly selected to receive either an early or late stem cell transplant.

The results do suggest, however, that early transplantation may be …

Three studies presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando support the use of Revlimid as maintenance therapy for multiple myeloma patients.

In two studies, Revlimid (lenalidomide) maintenance increased time to disease progression among multiple myeloma patients after stem cell transplantation.

A third study showed the same benefit for older newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who are not candidates for stem cell transplantation.

Side effects were minor across all three studies. However, the researchers did observe the occurrence of secondary cancers in a small …

Interim results of a Phase 3 trial show no statistically significant differ­ences in relapse and overall survival rates between multiple myeloma patients who received a donor stem cell transplant as their second transplant compared to patients receiving two sequential transplants with their own stem cells.

Patients who received a donor transplant had an increased risk of death and other serious side effects, which outweighed the therapeutic benefits of the procedure.

The results of the trial were presented yesterday by Dr. Amrita Krishnan from the City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, California, at the American Society of …

Yesterday was the second full day of the 2010 American Society of Hematology annual meeting in Orlando. It was a particularly busy day in terms of material related to multiple myeloma, with numerous oral presentations during the day and an extensive poster session in the early evening.

One of the first presentations of the day was actually a press conference held to review the results of a Phase 3 study comparing the efficacy and safety of two different stem cell transplant regimens for multiple myeloma (abstract).

In one arm of this …

Long-term follow-up results from a clinical trial show that multiple myeloma patients who underwent two stem cell transplants remained in remission longer and also survived longer than patients who underwent one transplant. These findings are updated results from a previously published study comparing single versus double transplantation.

Multiple myeloma patients are commonly treated with stem cell transplantation. Several studies have shown a survival benefit to having a second transplant a couple of months after the first. However long-term follow-up results are necessary to confirm this.

Patients were recruited for the study between …